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Played
September 29, 2011 12:15 AM IST
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza — Milano
Referee: F. Meyer
Attendance: 66859
September 29, 2011 12:15 AM IST
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza — Milano
Referee: F. Meyer
Attendance: 66859
Goal.com Rating 
Fans' Rating AC Milan 2-0 Viktoria Plzen: Ibrahimovic And Cassano Steal The Show To Seal Victory For Hosts
The talismanic Swede marked his return to first-team matters with a spotkick, while their Bari native scored a fine goal of his own, as the Italians earn a first European win
By Livio Caferoglu, Goal.com
Getty Images
AC Milan have won their first Champions League game of the campaign, after putting on a dominant second-half performance to down Group H rivals Viktoria Plzen 2-0 at San Siro on Wednesday.
A second-half penalty from the former Barcelona hitman, and a delicate Antonio Cassano chip was enough for the Serie A holders to prosper on the night, but they had to firstly overcome a resolute Plzen side, who were not prepared to back down and lose their unbeaten record in Europe this season without a fight.
The match began very openly, with Plzen setting their stall from the first minute. The visitors had started their Champions League campaign in reasonable fashion, drawing 1-1 against BATE Borisov on the first matchday, and they looked to capitalise on the break at every opportunity.
Meanwhile, Massimiliano Allegri's side seemed buoyant with the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in their ranks, but his comeback possibly overshadowed the impact of his team-mates initially, as the talismanic Swede was central to virtually every attack at the Czech's goal.
However, it was Plzen who had the game's first chance, and it needed a save of the top drawer from Christian Abbiati to deny Vaclav Pilar's bullet header inside the third minute. Unsurprisingly, Milan began to dominate the possession, as their contrasting playing styles made for a fascinating state of affairs.
Milan continued to search for a breakthrough, and they came mightily close through the feet of Ibrahimovic, who profitted from Cassano missing his header at the far post, but his powerful strike could only manage the hands of Marek Cech, who pulled off a marvellous stop from close range.
Plzen proceeded to have an equally-perilous opportunity of their own, as Pavel Horvath blazed over a free shot at goal inside the Milan box near the end of the first half, with Abbiati seemingly in no-man's land.
However, the second half was a stark contrast to the first 45, as Milan stepped up several notches and broke the deadlock on 53 minutes, as Marian Cisovsky's handball lead to a penalty, and Ibrahimovic netted the spotkick with ease, sending Cech the wrong way.
The Italian champions doubled their lead through a counter-attack 13 minutes, as Ibrahimovic once again lead the way with a inch-perfect through ball to Cassano, who finished with aplomb, cutely lifting the ball over an onrushing Cech.
A late raid of sorts at the Milan goal ensued by Pavel Urba's men, but the wall of Nesta and Silva continued to stand for the remainder of proceedings, coupled with the hosts' impressively cohesive football on display, as Milan earn the first three points of their Champions League Group H campaign.
A second-half penalty from the former Barcelona hitman, and a delicate Antonio Cassano chip was enough for the Serie A holders to prosper on the night, but they had to firstly overcome a resolute Plzen side, who were not prepared to back down and lose their unbeaten record in Europe this season without a fight.
The match began very openly, with Plzen setting their stall from the first minute. The visitors had started their Champions League campaign in reasonable fashion, drawing 1-1 against BATE Borisov on the first matchday, and they looked to capitalise on the break at every opportunity.
Meanwhile, Massimiliano Allegri's side seemed buoyant with the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in their ranks, but his comeback possibly overshadowed the impact of his team-mates initially, as the talismanic Swede was central to virtually every attack at the Czech's goal.
However, it was Plzen who had the game's first chance, and it needed a save of the top drawer from Christian Abbiati to deny Vaclav Pilar's bullet header inside the third minute. Unsurprisingly, Milan began to dominate the possession, as their contrasting playing styles made for a fascinating state of affairs.
Milan continued to search for a breakthrough, and they came mightily close through the feet of Ibrahimovic, who profitted from Cassano missing his header at the far post, but his powerful strike could only manage the hands of Marek Cech, who pulled off a marvellous stop from close range.
Plzen proceeded to have an equally-perilous opportunity of their own, as Pavel Horvath blazed over a free shot at goal inside the Milan box near the end of the first half, with Abbiati seemingly in no-man's land.
However, the second half was a stark contrast to the first 45, as Milan stepped up several notches and broke the deadlock on 53 minutes, as Marian Cisovsky's handball lead to a penalty, and Ibrahimovic netted the spotkick with ease, sending Cech the wrong way.
The Italian champions doubled their lead through a counter-attack 13 minutes, as Ibrahimovic once again lead the way with a inch-perfect through ball to Cassano, who finished with aplomb, cutely lifting the ball over an onrushing Cech.
A late raid of sorts at the Milan goal ensued by Pavel Urba's men, but the wall of Nesta and Silva continued to stand for the remainder of proceedings, coupled with the hosts' impressively cohesive football on display, as Milan earn the first three points of their Champions League Group H campaign.
Goal
Own Goal
Penalty
Penalty Missed
Yellow Card
Assist
Penalty Save
Penalty Shootout Goal
Penalty Shootout Miss
Yellow Card / Red Card
Red Card
Substitution IN
Substitution OUT
Injury
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Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lionel Messi
Striker Barcelona |
14 | 4 |
|
Mario Gomez
Striker FC Bayern München |
13 | 0 |
|
Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker Real Madrid |
10 | 2 |
|
Karim Benzema
Striker Real Madrid |
7 | 0 |
|
Didier Drogba
Striker Chelsea |
6 | 0 |